


Habits

by kriscasso



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 21:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7191542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kriscasso/pseuds/kriscasso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chanyeol always thought of Jongin as just his best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Habits

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” Chanyeol asks, sifting through the take-out menus scattered all over the coffee table. Jongin, his roommate and best friend, shrugs and slumps down on the seat next to him.

Today is Friday, which means take-out night. Technically every night is take-out night since neither Chanyeol nor Jongin know how to cook anything aside from instant ramen. They tried to better their culinary skills the first week they moved in together two months ago, and they sort of succeeded. Jongin learned how to make spaghetti and meatballs, but he nearly set the apartment on fire every time because he forgot about the pot of boiling of water. After the fifth incident, the pair decided cooking wasn’t their thing. Ordering pizza or burgers is the more reliable and safe option. 

Aside from the life-or-death experiences they faced earlier on, Chanyeol likes to think that moving in with his best friend in the entire world was a good idea. They managed to get accepted into the same university, so it was only inevitable that they shelled out on a cramped apartment half an hour away from campus. Jongin was hesitant at first because the place was missing floorboards and had a cockroach infestation in the bathroom. Chanyeol reassured him that in no time, everything would be okay. He stayed true to his word and fixed the place up with Jongin’s help. Slowly, the shithole turned into a livable space. 

They’re only freshmen, so they still have a lot of things to learn about living on their own for the very first time. Jongin hates doing laundry and leaves his clothing in the hamper until the bathroom reeks of sweat and bacteria. Chanyeol scolds him every time he leaves the shower smelling worse than before, but then Jongin will only bring up Chanyeol’s bad habit of swishing mouthwash when he’s too lazy to brush his teeth. Without a doubt, they bicker like an old married couple and neither of them would have it any other way.

“How about Chinese? I think we got a coupon in the mail earlier this week for free spring rolls from that place several blocks down.” Chanyeol walks away to the kitchen where they have a paper bag set up as a makeshift recycling bin. Most of their failed assignments and junk mail fall into here. He pours everything out onto the floor and tries not to cringe at the barely passing grades he received on pop quizzes from his Ancient Civilizations class. It’s not Chanyeol’s fault that his professor likes to surprise all his students. He’s lucky to have Kyungsoo, a childhood friend, in the same class, or else he would have failed two weeks into the semester.

“Did you find it?” Jongin nudges Chanyeol’s ass with his foot.

“I just started looking! Why don’t you stop being lazy and help me out,” Chanyeol grumbles and tosses a handful of papers in the air. 

Jongin groans, but kneels down to give his roommate a hand. It takes them much longer than they think to find a piece of paper, only because Jongin gets distracted by the colorful leaflets they’ve thrown away. Some of them advertise free window cleanings, and others offer customizable business cards. Chanyeol gets distracted along with him when Jongin points out the _buy one, get one free_ deals. The elder has always been a sucker for a good bargain. This might explain why their apartment is furnished with items he got for nearly nothing. There is no continuity in sight. The velvet couch came from a couple who decided the city life wasn’t right for them. The wallpaper is a mosaic of samples Chanyeol had grabbed from the local home improvement store. It took him over two weeks to get the walls covered, but the end product was worth the effort. Then there is Jongin’s antique dresser with missing handles. The damn thing was a steal because all Chanyeol had to do was help an old lady fix her air conditioning. Every time their friends come over, they say the apartment is a fucking mess, and Chanyeol simply tells them that it’s his and Jongin’s fucking mess.

“Hah! I found it,” Chanyeol squeals as he reaches for the bright yellow coupon, only to have his hand collide with Jongin’s halfway there. He glares at his roommate and tries to grab the coupon again with his other hand. This time, Jongin beats him to the punch and leaps up in joy. The younger males waves the paper in Chanyeol’s face, sticking his tongue out. 

“Finders keepers, losers weepers,” Jongin shouts out.

“Shut up! I’m not going to pay for anything if I don’t get a spring roll,” Chanyeol threatens and folds his arms over his chest. 

“And why would I care? You’re only hurting yourself by not eating,” Jongin reminds him as he goes back to the coffee table to retrieve his phone. 

“Because you’re broke and don’t get paid until this Monday,” Chanyeol says in a mocking tone. 

In order to pay for the crummy apartment, both young men work part-time jobs. Jongin snagged a position without an interview or experience at a popular coffeehouse in the city. He bragged for an entire month, shoving his amazing luck down Chanyeol’s throat. Chanyeol doesn’t bear any resentment because Jongin’s job brings home free coffee and pastries, breakfast for the next day. His own gig down at a mom-and-pop shop isn’t nearly as glamorous, but it helps keep a roof over their heads. The only other good thing about it is the fact that Chanyeol’s boss pays on a weekly basis, whereas Jongin sees a paycheck at the end of the month. 

Jongin stops in his tracks and crumples the coupon up in his hands out of irritation. “Y-you… fine!”

Chanyeol wears a cheeky grin on his face as he calls up the Chinese restaurant.

When their food arrives half an hour later, Chanyeol takes all of the spring rolls for himself. For revenge, Jongin smacks him in the face with a piece beef covered in black bean sauce. It leads to an inevitable food fight. 

 

During the weekends, Chanyeol likes to sleep until Monday comes around because one can never get too much sleep. It’s his life motto. On the flip side of things, Jongin prefers waking up bright and early to do the things he otherwise wouldn’t have a chance at. He dines at the pancake house that has an all-you-can-eat special that ends at nine am. Sometimes he’ll bring a doggy bag home for his roommate, in the hopes that free food will be a big enough incentive to get him out of bed. It never is. Afterwards, Jongin’s day is unpredictable. Some days he’ll take a jog around the neighborhood to release all the pent up energy, or call his friend Sehun until he wakes up so they can play foosball. 

Today, though, Jongin seems resolute on taking Chanyeol out with him. He hasn’t left the elder’s room all morning, walking around in circles as he complains. Chanyeol tries to tune him out with a pillow over his head, but Jongin only talks louder. 

“Why can’t you leave me the fuck alone? You know I never leave the bed on Saturdays unless I need to take a piss,” Chanyeol drawls and begs the man upstairs to spare him.

“Because midterms are next week, and I’d like to do something fun with you before we become miserable,” Jongin explains and jumps on the bed, squishing Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol thinks his manhood has been compromised with the way Jongin sits on him. He hopes nothing is broken as he attempts to push the younger male off of him because it’s almost midday, and he is running out of time to waste. 

“Ugh, you’re no fun at all.” Jongin messes up the bird’s nest atop Chanyeol’s head.

Chanyeol hums in agreement and thinks he likes the feeling of Jongin’s fingers in his hair. Now, if only he could get Jongin to do it again, then he’d be able to fall asleep with ease. It isn’t weird to ask your best friend to run his fingers through your hair, right? But it’s too late for Chanyeol to say anything because Jongin is getting up with a huff.

“I’m going to see if Sehun is up and actually willing to hang out with me, unlike someone else I know,” Jongin mutters under his breath on his way out.

Once the front door closes in a loud slam, Chanyeol finds it hard to fall back asleep. He misses Jongin’s presence and nagging. For a second, he regrets not conceding to Jongin’s demands, and then he remembers how tired he is. The days leading up to now were filled with long hours of studying, which left him feeling like shit. If Jongin offered to drag him around town, Chanyeol might have said yes. It would have been a silly sight for pedestrians as they watch a young man haul a giant from one destination to the next.

Sleep continues to elude Chanyeol, forcing him to get out of bed at this god forsaken hour. He pads around the apartment aimlessly because he isn’t used to waking up so early. When hunger hits him hard, he decides one am is the perfect time for breakfast. There are some leftovers from yesterday in the fridge, but cold rice and beef doesn’t entice him. He searches around the kitchen for one of Jongin’s bagels or scones and fails to find a crumb, only a post-it with _you fucking suck, so nothing for you_ on it. 

The only other option Chanyeol has to kill his hunger is to go downstairs and buy a granola bar from the vending machine. That’s six flights of stairs and several opportunities for unwanted social interaction away. The risk just isn’t worth the end result. He allows himself to suffer as he turns on the television as a way to distract himself from his stomach’s growls. 

Two reruns of the latest episode of his favorite drama later, and Jongin is finally home. He brings the gangly fool, Sehun, with him. Chanyeol has nothing against Sehun personally, but he thinks the boy needs to learn to shut his mouth once in awhile. 

“I’m surprised sleeping beauty is awake,” Sehun singsongs on his way to the kitchen. 

“Look what the cat shat out,” Chanyeol counters.

Jongin flicks Chanyeol on the forehead before he follows behind Sehun with paper bags in his arms. Chanyeol whimpers like a kicked puppy in the hopes that Jongin will come back to kiss his wound, but his cries fall on deaf ears. He leans over the armrest of the couch to see what’s happening in the kitchen and notices the boys unpacking all sorts of crap. 

“Did you guys mug an old man? I know Jongin has no money to his name, and Sehun only pays for blowjobs,” Chanyeol shouts, craning his neck a little more for a better view.

“Shut the fuck up, you putrid gremlin,” Sehun starts. “Jongin told me you’re a buzzkill, so I decided to do you a favor and invited some of the guys over for tomorrow.”

“Without consulting me? You don’t even live here!” Chanyeol squawks as gets off the couch and makes a beeline for the kitchen. The counter is covered in various kinds of alcohol, snack foods, and a fat tub of sour cream. He doesn’t need to know what Sehun plans to do with all this dip. 

“Jongin thought it was a good idea, so you lose. Now, go brush your teeth because your breath smells like you’ve been licking way too many assholes,” Sehun commands, throwing bags of cheese-flavored chips in Chanyeol’s face.

Chanyeol squeals as he swats at the chips and glares at Sehun. 

“And don’t just use mouthwash,” Jongin chimes in with a smile. Chanyeol can’t say no to that face.

 

Chanyeol isn’t fond of the idea of having several guys in home at hours on end, especially when there is alcohol involved. He knows half of his friends can barely handle a sip of beer, but that doesn’t stop them from chugging more to look cool. He tried to convince Jongin to stop this madness in the morning, but his roommate is adamant about the get-together. 

“Don’t be a stick in the mud, Yeol. Let loose for once, why don’t you?” Jongin says as he looks around his bedroom for clean clothes. 

“I am loose, loose-lipped!” Chanyeol defends himself and sits down at the end of Jongin’s bed. Jongin gives him a pointed look.

“I can’t find anything to wear. Can I borrow something from you?” Jongin asks after several minutes of aimless searching, though he’s already on his way to Chanyeol’s room because he knows Chanyeol wouldn’t want him wearing dirty clothes around the apartment. They have managed to keep all the bugs in the bathroom, so there’s no need to revert back to old days when this place was covered in filth.

“What did I tell you about doing laundry on a regular basis? It’s to avoid situations like this,” Chanyeol chides him. 

Jongin shrugs his roommate off and digs through Chanyeol’s closet, flinging things onto the ground without a care. Chanyeol doesn’t say anything because his roommate never listens to him. This isn’t the first time Jongin has needed to borrow Chanyeol’s clothes, and it definitely won’t be the last with his terrible habits. And besides, Chanyeol enjoys seeing Jongin in his shirts because they’re always a little too big for him. Jongin wearing sweaters that eat up is quite the sight, especially when the hem runs past the top of his thighs.

“How about this?” 

Chanyeol glances up to see Jongin in his football hoodie back from high school. It has his last name written on the back along with his number, _61_. He thinks Jongin looks better in it than himself. A wave of possessiveness washes over him for a brief moment. 

“Yeah, great… but you’re not wearing anything underneath it,” Chanyeol says it more like a question because he isn’t sure if Jongin’s shirt on the floor is the answer he’s looking for. His brain is mush right now.

“And your point is? It’s not like I’m going to strip in front of everyone,” Jongin replies and leaves the room to get things ready for when the guys come over. Chanyeol is left to clean up the mess his roommate left behind. 

It is no surprise to anyone that Sehun is the first person to show up, along with Joonmyun, Sehun’s _friend_. Sehun swears nothing is going on between them, but Chanyeol knows better than to believe the horniest boy in the world. Next comes Jongdae, Chanyeol’s friend. They met back in their senior year of high school in the principal’s office. The reason why they were there is a tale for another day. 

“Please keep an eye on Sehun. I can’t trust that kid,” Chanyeol whispers into Jongdae’s ear as he hands him a can of beer straight from the fridge. 

“It’s going to be hard, but I’ll try not to get too drunk for your sake,” Jongdae says and wanders over to the living room for munchies. 

Fifteen minutes later, Zitao arrives with _The Devil Wears Prada_ on DVD. He’s a mutual friend of Sehun and Jongin. Finishing off the group is Kyungsoo and Yifan. Chanyeol has known Kyungsoo since they were kids, and he met Yifan through football. They might or might not have bonded over their love of alpacas. Okay, they didn’t. Chanyeol likes ferrets better, but both creatures are fuzzy and lovable, so that was good enough for him.

“I lied, Yeol! I’ll need more to drink if I’m going to watch that crap,” Jongdae announces, his words are coherent just enough for everyone to understand. Chanyeol smacks himself when he sees the crushed can in his friend’s hand. It’s going to be a long night with Jongdae slowly losing himself. 

Zitao forces everyone to sit around the television set and situates himself in the middle for the perfect viewing experience. He hogs all of the pretzels and cheese-flavored chips to himself, leaving the rest of the group with alcohol and the sour cream. 

“I still don’t understand why you brought that,” Chanyeol says aloud, causing Zitao to swat him on the leg because the movie is about to start. 

“Because I remembered you like good deals, and the store had a sale on sour cream. Aren’t I such a considerate guest?” Sehun wears a shit-eating grin on his face, and Zitao’s wrath claims another victim. 

Everyone else learns to stay quiet, taking quiet sips of their beer to avoid getting hit themselves. Chanyeol wasn’t quite sure what Sehun intended when he invited the gang over, but movie night with a chick flick probably isn’t close to his original plan. He doesn’t care too much, though, because he’s squashed next to Jongin on the couch. There is barely enough space for them, so the younger male is forced to rest his left leg atop Chanyeol’s thigh. It’s a nice feeling. Unfortunately, Joonmyun sits on the other side of Jongin. He can’t complain too much, though, if he wants to stay on Zitao’s nice side. 

The movie is a blur. Every time Anne Hathaway’s character is berated, Jongdae yells at the screen in his belligerent state and yelps when Zitao punches him on the leg. Their little game is more amusing than what’s playing on the television screen. Eventually, most of the guys stop paying attention altogether to the movie, and instead entertain themselves with more booze or each other. Kyungsoo and Zitao have been sneaking glances at each other, and it makes Chanyeol want to vomit. When he catches Sehun eating sour cream straight from the tub, he isn’t sure which sight is worse. Jongdae continues to drown himself with beer, and Zitao’s fingers are covered in cheese dust. 

Chanyeol glances his to right, just in time for Joonmyun to get from the couch and head over to the bathroom. He smiles a little to himself because now it’s only him and Jongin. It’s not like they haven’t sat this close to each other before, but it feels a little different this time. Just as Chanyeol is about to tickle Jongin, the younger male rises up and pads over to the bathroom, but isn’t Joonmyun in there?

Oh. 

Chanyeol falls quiet and loses himself in his thoughts. He knows he shouldn’t be angry towards Jongin because they’re only friends, nothing more. Then why does it feel like his entire world has turned upside down? The rest of the night is spent in silence, taking sips of his beer whenever someone wants to speak with him. Even if Chanyeol wanted to speak, he’s at a loss for words. No one bugs him too much, though. The rest of the group slowly succumbs to the bittersweet effects of too much alcohol. Kyungsoo excuses himself to throw up in the kitchen sink with Yifan in tow to make sure he’s okay. The next to go down is Sehun, who slumps down in his seat and passes out. Zitao laughs at him and decides to draw on Sehun’s face, but Zitao’s movements are too uncoordinated, and he trips over the coffee table. 

Chanyeol shakes his head at the messy scene and makes sure all his friends are sleeping on their sides before he heads for his room. He glances down the hall at the bathroom, and the door is still closed with the lights on. His heart sinks. He doesn’t bother changing out his clothes and burrows under the covers. There were no expectations for how tonight was supposed to go, but Chanyeol definitely didn’t think Jongin would blow Joonmyun in the bathroom, or whatever the fuck they did. He failed to see any indication that Jongin was into their friend like that. Maybe it was just the alcohol doing all the talking. 

The door creaks open, and Chanyeol stiffens up. 

“Hey Chanyeol, what happened to —” Jongin stops mid-sentence when he notices his roommate is fast asleep. It’s barely midnight, but he isn’t the kind of guy to bother people. After all, Chanyeol is known to get an upset stomach after only one beer. “Goodnight, you idiot.” 

Chanyeol has to stop himself from saying something back. He waits until the door is closed again to breathe again. 

 

On Monday, Chanyeol gets up early to avoid talking with Jongin. His classes may not start for another two hours, but he isn’t ready to face his roommate. Last night brought forth feelings he still doesn’t fully understand. He needs time to himself to sort things out. 

Campus is fairly empty when Chanyeol arrives, so he walks around the main quad with a book in hand. He can’t focus on the words, his mind wandering elsewhere. Jongin, to be exact. It makes no sense to him as to why seeing Jongin following after Joonmyun didn’t bode well with him. His best friend is free to do as he pleases, yet it doesn’t please him. He wants Jongin all to himself. It’s a selfish thought.

Classes drag on slowly, and Chanyeol is quite thankful for that. The more time he spends here, the less time he spends back at home. He wants to keep interactions with Jongin down to a minimum for the meanwhile. It’s easy to avoid him on campus because their classes are always in different buildings, and he gets out in the early afternoon to start his shift at work. Ringing customers up is mundane, but it forces his mind to focus on the moment. He offers everyone a weary greeting and smile. When Chanyeol gets home in the evening, he lies to Jongin about being tired. Jongin leaves him be, thankfully. 

For the rest of the week, Chanyeol keeps up this routine of avoiding Jongin as much as possible. He has a new excuse every day to skip out on their dinners together and hit the sack early. In his room all alone, he browses the internet as he waits for Jongin to go to bed before he can sneak in a quick shower. It’s exhausting because his friend likes to stay up until midnight, but Chanyeol doesn’t have much of a choice. 

No matter how much time passes by, Chanyeol still can’t figure out what the nagging feeling from the other day was all about and why it still lingers. He just wants to move on and go back to his old ways with Jongin. He misses acting like a fool around him and laughing his ass off with him. 

Once the weekend comes around again, there’s no avoiding Jongin anymore. Chanyeol’s body shuts down on his days off, and Jongin is prepared to pester him like a fly. 

“What’s gotten into you lately?” Jongin asks in the doorway of Chanyeol’s room, bright and early. The sun has barely risen. 

Chanyeol brings his blanket over his head and ignores his roommate. He wasn’t ready to face him earlier this week and definitely isn’t ready right now. 

“You have until eight-thirty to tell me what’s up before I whoop your ass.” Jongin sounds adamant, and he probably has his serious face on. The man takes his all-you-can-eat pancakes seriously. 

“Nothing. Now go eat your heart out,” Chanyeol mutters.

“No. I can’t leave because once I do, you’re probably going to jump out the window and never come back,” Jongin says, and Chanyeol can hear him walking closer. 

What exactly is Chanyeol supposed to tell Jongin when he doesn’t know how to put how he feels into words? Nothing makes sense to him. He peeks out from under the covers when he feels the mattress dip. 

“Sunday… it was a bad night.” _Whatever you did with Joonmyun made me upset, but I don’t know why_ goes unsaid.

“I agree. Half our friends passed out and had to spend the night here,” Jongin tacks on. 

Chanyeol wants to laugh at Jongin’s ignorance. It would be cute if it wasn’t for the situation at hand. 

“You must have had a lot to drink because you took quite awhile in the bathroom,” Chanyeol says, trying his best to keep his voice steady. 

Jongin is quiet for a moment as he soaks in Chanyeol’s words, and realization dawns on him. He stares down at Chanyeol incredulously, brows knitted together. A part of him wants to smack Chanyeol across the face, and the other part wants to smack him for the rest of his life.

“You’ve been acting like a baby because of that? I don’t understand what the big deal is, really. Maybe I should have asked him to go to my room, but it’s kind of hard to talk when —” Chanyeol knees Jongin in the back to shut him up. His imagination is enough, there’s no need for his roommate to paint him a vivid picture. 

“Rude much? Anyway, now that that is out in the open… can we go back to being best friends? I miss your stupidity,” Jongin sighs out. 

Now is Chanyeol’s chance to air out his grievances, but he still isn’t sure how to put everything into words. He only knows that he’s uncomfortable with the idea of Jongin being intimate with other people. 

“You and Joonmyun… that was a one time thing, right?” Chanyeol asks, preparing himself for the worst.

“Yeah. Sehun has been giving me shit about it since he’s been trying to get into Joonmyun’s pants, but we all know he’ll get over it because he wants to bone everything that moves,” Jongin answers and laughs softly.

“Oh, good,” Chanyeol says more to himself than Jongin. “Hey, are you up for some company at the pancake house today?” His expression is filled with hope, even though his body is screaming for much needed sleep. 

“Of course. We need to make up for lost time.” Jongin turns to face Chanyeol and leans down to kiss him on the forehead, running off immediately the moment his cheeks sport a tinge of pink. “For the other day!” he calls out. 

Chanyeol shakes his head as he forces himself out of bed to get ready for a long day. He probably won’t tell Jongin anytime soon why the incident with Joonmyun upset him, as long as Jongin doesn’t prod him about it. For now, he needs to focus on the present and the future ahead of him and Jongin. He takes his time in the bathroom, washing his face, shaving, and brushing his teeth. When he goes out to the living room to meet Jongin, he notices the younger male is still wearing his hoodie. Some things will never change.


End file.
